Love from The Start
by Yaoilover2873
Summary: Alec Lightwood never thought of himself as anything special. He was just the protective older brother and that guy who loved photography maybe a little too much. His life would be soon changed when he gets into one of the biggest art schools in the world. There he meets Magnus Bane who shows him just how special he can be.
1. It Started at Art School

Love from The Start: Chapter One- It Started in Art School.

 **Alec Pov**

"How do I look," A smooth male voice asked from behind me. I was leaning on a desk looking over some photos of said male, that were going in _Vanity Fair_. They were doing a spread about his new fashion line and I was making sure the photos were perfect.

"Yeah, you look great Magnus," I answered, not looking up from the photos.

I could practically feel the force of him pouting at me. "You didn't even look at me Alexander."

A smile crept its way onto my face. "You always look amazing Magnus."

Sighing, he wrapped his arms around my waist and laid his chin on my shoulder, looking down at the photos as well. "You have been staring at the same three pictures for the past hour now. They are all going in the article, right?"

I nodded. "Yes, but one of these are going on the cover of the Magazine. The cover Magnus! It needs to be absolutely perfect."

Again, I could practically feel him rolling his eyes. "You're the most sought out photographer in Hollywood. I'm pretty sure that means all of your pictures are perfect."

"Shh, your opinion is biased," I chuckled shoving my hand in his face. He laughed moving his face away from my hand before kissing my cheek.

"Are you forgetting what today is love?"

The question finally made me look away from the photos and over at him. Was there something going on today? Another interview? A birthday? No, it's no ones birthday this month. There aren't any weddings for us to go to either.

"Wow… you really forgot, didn't you," Magnus laughed, making me blush.

"I've been busy!"

"So have I, yet here I am remembering the super important day that the great Alec Lightwood forgot."

"Just tell me what it is dork," I chided, laughing as I finally picked up a photo of Magnus in a crimson red suit and slicked back hair.

"It's our five-year anniversary Alec," he whined, faking hurt.

I raised an eyebrow at that. "We have only been dating for two years."

He rolled his eyes again. Something tells me that's becoming a habit he needs to break away from. "Yes, but we met each other five years ago today. I think that deserves celebrating."

I smirked at that. "Though I am touched that you hold the day we met at such high regard, you look for any excuse to celebrate. You wanted to celebrate after I opened a jar of pickles last weekend."

"Hey! That jar was impossible to open!"

"Yet I opened it in a matter of seconds," I teased, making Magnus shove me playfully.

"Anyway, we met five-years ago today and I want to go out and celebrate."

I smiled shaking my head at him. "We have three photoshoots and _Vanity Fair's_ editor is coming over to interview you about your line. Celebrating will have to wait."

He pouted at me again, only this time I could see it plain as day. Magnus was adorable when he pouted, but I wasn't going to let him use it against me.

"Alexander," he whined.

"Don't you 'Alexander' me. You're the one who chose to become a famous fashion designer. That means interviews and photoshoots. I'm sorry that they get in the way of your plans, but they are important for your career."

He sighed crossing his arms. "Fine, we will do the interview tonight. At least let me take you out to dinner when everything is done."

I nodded smiling. "That sounds reasonable."

He perked right back up at that. "Great then let's go get these photoshoots done. Oh, and make sure _Vanity Fair_ knows that I refuse to have any of their photographers work on the article."

I chuckled at that. "I'm pretty sure the whole world knows that i'm the only photographer you use."

"Of course baby. You're the only one who knows how to get my good side."

I shook my head smiling at him. "Speaking of which, I have to deliver another batch of your photos to our agency. I'll meet you at the shoot in a half an hour, alright?"

He sighed grabbing his designer bag and kissing me briefly on the lips. "If you insist, but you owe me one. You know I hate driving alone."

"You'll live," I said kissing his cheek before grabbing a folder and heading out the building.

I quickly made my way outside and caught a taxi before he could convince me to go with him. I love Magnus to death, but he needs to learn to do things on his own. He's become very dependent on me since we've been together.

Though i'm just as guilty as him since I like being needed by him. Guess we both have things to work on.

I got inside the taxi, telling the cabbie where to go before sighing and looking out the window. It really has been five years since I met Magnus Bane. It feels like it was just yesterday I spotted him during my freshman year of college. We were both students at the most well-known art schools in America. It's not just for drawing and painting. It was a school for every form of art you could think of. Traditional art, photography, videography, and fashion. If it was considered art, it was there.

My major was photography and I was a freshmen while Magnus was a senior majoring in fashion. You would think those two courses would go hand and hand, but the fact of the matter is, the chances of us meeting in class was slim. The fashion building was all the way on the other side of the campus from the photography building. We also didn't have any normal classes together, so it really is a miracle that we met at all.

Smiling to myself, I laid my head against the window and closed my eyes, letting my mind wander back to the day that would change my life forever.

 **Five Years Ago**

" _Are you sure you can handle living so far away without me there with you? You're going to die,"_ my best friend and adoptive brother Jace once again questioned over the phone. The two of us have been inseparable for most of our lives, but now that I graduated high school I decided it would be good to get away from home and leave my comfort zones.

I was born in a small town in Ohio that no one has ever even heard of. Idris University of the Arts was the biggest art school in the country and by some Miracle, I got in. Well, I wasn't the only one from my high school to get in. My two best friends who weren't Jace followed me as well.

They were twin brothers named Jonathan and Sebastian Morgenstern. Jonathan came to the school for painting, while Sebastian was striving to become an actor. With their platinum blonde hair and gorgeous eyes, they could both easily pull off the actor thing.

"Jonathan and Sebastian are with me. I'm not alone," was all I said in response to Jace's worry.

" _Yeah that makes me feel so much better. How can I sleep at night knowing Sebastian Morgenstern followed you to college? He is going to talk you into doing something dangerous and illegal. Don't join a gang Alec. Don't let New York turn you into a thug!"_

"How did this conversation go from Sebastian being a bad influence to New York turning me into a gangster in a matter of seconds?"

" _Just be careful please,"_ Jace sighed.

I put my hand on my hip in amusement. "Aren't I usually the one who has to tell you to be careful? What an interesting turn of events."

He groaned, not liking that I was right. " _Well you aren't here now, so I have to be the big brother figure for Max. Can't be going around being a bad influence on the kid."_

I couldn't help but smile at that. "Well i'm glad you're taking your job as a big brother seriously. Look, I have to find my dorm room, so i'm going to let you go for now. I promise to call you this weekend, so please don't bombard my phone with calls and texts."

" _I make no promises"_ was all he said before hanging up.

I rolled my eyes at him before shoving my phone in my pocket.

"Trouble in Jalec paradise," a teasing familiar voice asked from behind me.

I looked over my shoulder seeing one of the before mentioned twins. This one was Sebastian Morgenstern. Like his brother he was blonde, but unlike Jonathan his eyes were so brown they were almost black.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling us Jalec? I don't have a crush on Jace anymore."

He smirked at that. "Anymore being the key word there."

I rolled my eyes again before looking around. "Where's Jonathan? It's rare to see you two a foot apart from each other."

Sebastian was one of those guys who seemed like a huge dick if you didn't personally know him. I mean, yeah, he is a dick. His personality is downright awful, but I have grown accustomed to it over the years and it doesn't phase me much anymore. I've gotten the chance to see the human underneath it all. It only comes out when he is protecting his twin.

Jonathan was the complete opposite of Sebastian. Where Sebastian tormented people for his own amusement, Jonathan saw the good in everyone and everything. He tends to go out of his way to help people and he has a little sister complex. He adores his little sister Clary and dotes on her every chance he gets. He cried when he decided to move so far away from her.

"Jonathan is still at registration. Guess that's where you find out your dorm number," he finally answered.

I frowned slightly, looking down at my registration papers. There wasn't a room number on any of them. "Did I forget one of them?"

"Alec!" An excited voice called for me from across the courtyard, making both Sebastian and I look up to see Jonathan running up with the biggest smile on his face. He was always smiling. It was rare to get Jonathan upset or mad, and you really didn't want to do either.

If you get Jonathan mad, you know you fucked up. He will personally make your life a living hell. As for upsetting him, well, Sebastian is the one you have to deal with if that happens. You really don't want to deal with him when he's pissed off.

The brothers have always been known in our small town as the typical type of twins you see on tv. One is nice, smart, and a little weak, while the other is stronger, edgier, but not as bright. Complete opposites that complement each other somehow when they are together.

Jonathan stopped in front of us, practically hopping on the balls of his feet. "Guess what? You and I are roommates Alec!"

"Really," I gasped, taking the paper he was holding out for me and looking it over. Like he said, our names were put down for dorm room 107. I smiled, high fiving him. "I was hoping we would be roommates."

Jonathan has been my best friend for almost forever. Not as long as Jace and I of course, but almost. We met in the fourth grade when Sebastian glued a popsicle stick to the back of my head and Jonathan sat through recess with me to try and get it out.

I ended up with a bald spot and a new friend that day.

Eventually, I learned that Jonathan was a package deal. Sebastian was very protective when it came to both his siblings. If you mess with them, you were as good as dead. Anyway, Sebastian didn't trust me with his brother, so he stalked us everywhere we went until we finally ended up becoming friends as well.

Still not really sure how that happened.

Sebastian took the paper looking it over with an angry scowl. "You were supposed to be roomed with me. Now i'm going to be with someone lame as hell. Hmm, maybe I can scare my roommate into changing rooms and I can have my own!"

"If anyone can do that i'm sure you can," I agreed, taking the paper back from him.

We started to walk to the dorms and Sebastian smiled stretching his arms over his head. "God, college is going to be so much fun. Parties, girls, drinking, girls!"

I rolled my eyes at that. "Yeah, i'm looking forward to the girls," I sarcastically snarked, making Jonathan laugh.

"Don't lie Alec, you're the biggest womanizer here."

That statement made all three of us laugh. There was no way I could ever be a womanizer. One, i'm too nice of a guy, and two, I have no interest in women whats so ever.

"Nah, Alec is going to get himself a man in college," Sebastian teased.

I rolled my eyes at that. "Please, all i'm going to do is focus on not failing any of my classes and learning to better my photography skills. There will be no 'getting myself a man'."

Jonathan frowned at that. "Why not Alec? This isn't Ohio. New York has so many open minded people. I'm sure there is at least one guy you could date here."

"What would be the point? You've both seen me flirt. I stumble on my words and completely freak out. Are we forgetting about the time I tried to ask Jordan Kyle out and literally fainted at his feet before I even got the chance?'

Jonathan cringed at the memory and Sebastian busted out laughing. "No, no, that doesn't even come close to the time Jem Carstairs talked to you, thinking you were Will Herondale and you got so overwhelmed that you threw up on his shoes. I wish I had a camera. That would have won me some big money on AFV."

Jonathan elbowed his brother in the side before smiling sheepishly at me. "It wasn't that bad Alec."

I looked at him exasperated. "Those shoes were imported from London, Jon. London!"

"Anyone who wears fancy imported London shoes to school deserves to get punked on," he tried to reason but there was nothing he could say to make me feel better about the situation. That was hands down the most embarrassing day of my life. Jem was cool about it, but that didn't stop the rest of the school from teasing me about it for months.

We made our way into the dormitory and I was pleasantly surprised by how nice the lounge area was. There was a nice rounded leather couch that looked like it could sit about twelve people, a huge flat screen tv hanging on the wall, and a small community kitchen complete with a fridge, microwave, and dishwasher.

I saw a coffee machine sitting on one of the counters and immediately felt relief. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't make coffee in the mornings. I'll still probably buy my own to keep in our room, but for now this one will have to do.

We stopped at door 107 and Jonathan looked over at his brother asking, "what room number are you in?"

He looked over his paper scowling. "309. That's all the way on the third floor."

I smiled, a little happy that he wouldn't be staying so close to us. Though knowing him, he will be practically living in our room anyway. "At least there is an elevator so you won't have to climb the stairs."

"Yes, that makes everything grand, now doesn't it," he mocked before grabbing the handle of his wheeled suitcase and pulling it with him down the hall. Jonathan and I waited for him to get on the elevator before glancing at each other.

"I'm freeeeee" he whispered, making me laugh.

"You're crazy," I countered, taking one of the room keys from him and unlocking our door. The room itself was pretty spacious. A decent sized living room was made up of a small couch, a normal sized flat screen tv, and a joint kitchen that only had a counter, fridge and a microwave.

Passed the living room were three doors. One leading to a small bathroom and the others leading to our rooms. Both rooms seemed to be the same size so thankfully we didn't have to argue on who gets the biggest one. Knowing Jonathan and I, the argument would be us trying to give the room to one another instead of wanting it ourselves. Most if not all our fights start that way.

"I'll take the room on the left," Jonathan said pulling his suitcase into the room. I didn't object, going in the room on the right and setting my bag on the bed. Normally people pack up all their belongings from home and bring them to college, but I only packed the small assentals. The assentals being my sweaters and my camera.

I opened my bag before gently pulling my camera out, as if it was the most precious thing I owned… which it was. My camera was like my child. There was nothing I loved more than seeing the world through a lens. It lets you show the world in ways others couldn't even begin to understand.

"Let me guess," Jonathan cut through the silence, making me jump and almost drop the camera. I quickly got a better hold of it before glaring at him over my shoulder. He just smiled, pretending that he didn't just almost kill my baby.

"You want to go out and take photos around campus right?"

I bit my lip, looking down at the camera before looking back up at him with big puppy dog eyes. He shook his head at me smirking. "What am I going to do with you? Give me five minutes to unpack a little," he said walking out of the room.

Ten minutes later we were sitting on a stone bench in the college square where all the students came to hang out and relax. People were sitting on blankets and playing music, while others sat by trees and studied. There was a big fountain in the middle of the courtyard and I was just dying to get some photos of it.

Jonathan sat next to me, waving his hand in front of his face. "How is it still so hot outside? It's supposed to be September."

"Oh please. You'll be complaining next week about how it's too cold, so I don't want to hear anything out of you. Why didn't you bring your art supplies? I'm sure there's lots of stuff for you to paint out here."

He shrugged, taking a sip of his energy drink and looking around. "We just got here. I don't want to start working yet."

"It's not work if you love it," I pointed out, standing up and holding my camera in front of my eyes. I zoomed in to the fountain, wanting to get a closer shot of it without actually getting any closer. The sun was starting to go down, so it sparkled against the water flowing out of the fountain. It looked so beautiful.

Smiling, I took a few pictures of it before turning my body to get pictures at a better angle.. As I prepared to take more photos, something else caught my attention through my viewfinder. It was a blur until I focused the camera, making the most beautiful human being appear.

He was absolutely stunning with tan brown skin, black hair with a hint of glitter that also shined in the sunset, and a fashionable crimson red shirt, black skinny jeans, and a green military jacket with silver chains hanging off the shoulders.

Before I knew what I was doing my finger pushed down on the button on my camera, taking a picture of the handsome stranger. Blushing, I pulled back and looked over the photo. It showed him sitting next to the fountain with a book in hand and an apple in another.

The sound of a whistle made me jump out of my trance and look back, seeing Jonathan looking over my shoulder at the picture. "He's a looker. It's not like you to take pictures of people without their permission."

"Yeah I know. I didn't mean to take his picture… it just kind of happened."

Jonathan glanced at me before a smirk spread across his face. If there was one annoying trait he and his twin shared, it would be that stupid smirk. "Alec Lightwood, do you like this guy?"

"What?! No! I don't even know him!"

"You secretly took his picture," he said pulling my camera out of my hands and looking the photo over. "It's a pretty impressive photo too. The sun is hitting him just right, and with that book and apple in hand he looks so cliche. Do you think he's reading poetry? I bet it's Poetry."

I snatched my camera back glaring at him. "Knock it off. I just accidently took the picture. He was in my shot."

That made the blonde snort. "Sure he was. There's no such thing as an accidental picture when it comes to you."

I shrugged looking back at his photo, feeling my face flush. He really was a handsome guy. There's definitely not anyone like him in Ohio.

Jonathan looked over at him thinking before smiling and grabbing my arm, pulling me in his direction. Panicking, I dug my heels into the dirt to stop him. "What do you think you are doing?"

He looked at me over his shoulder. "We're going to go talk to that guy. You're obviously interested in him. Besides, that's a great photo and you should put it in your portfolio. You need his permission for that."

"You don't give a damn about my portfolio. You're just trying to get me to talk to the guy."

He gasped putting his hand over his mouth in fake shock. "Alec Lightwood, such language. I do too care about your portfolio. I care even more about your love life, or should I say lack of love life. You are in New York now. Spread your wings and fly out of your nest."

"I like my nest. My nest is comfortable," I mumbled, trying to turn around but he grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me back toward him.

"Well too bad because mama bird is about to kick you out, so get flapping!"

With that he literally kicked me in the ass, making me stumble forward. I glared back at him shaking my head no. "I'm not doing it!"

He rolled his eyes before grabbing my arm and dragging me across the courtyard. No matter how hard I dug my heels into the dirt, nothing was stopping us from moving forward. Before I knew it, we were at the fountain, standing in front of the beautiful stranger.

His yellowish green eyes moved up from his book, looking at Jonathan and I. He glanced over Jonathan for a moment before his eyes landed on me, skimming me up and down. My face flushed at that and I glanced away shyly.

"Um… hello," his velvety voice came out like a question as if he was confused by our presence. It sent a shiver up my spine. Wow, even his voice was beautiful.

"What'cha reading," Jonathan asked, making me look at him like he was an idiot.

The guy looked back at his book before looking at us again. "Just some poetry."

"Poetry you say," the annoying blonde asked, giving me a shit eating grin. I was not amused by his being right about the book.

The stranger nodded, looking confused. "Can I help you?"

Jonathan nodded, trying to take my camera from my hands but I had a deathgrip on it. He glared at me as he tried to yank it free from my hold but I shook my head no, not wanting him to see the photo. He's going to think i'm a freak secretly taking pictures of him.

Finally Jonathan managed to snatch the camera out of my hand and smile at the stranger who was watching us with a raised eyebrow. "My friend here is majoring in photography and he was taking a picture of this fountain here and you so happened to be in the shot. It's a great photo and he was hoping to put it in his class portfolio with your permission of course."

The stranger looked at Jonathan before looking back at me smiling slightly. "A photography major huh? What year are you in?"

I bit my lip wanting to answer him but I couldn't even form the words. Jonathan nudged his head at me, as if telling me to go for it, but I just couldn't. There was no way someone like me could talk to someone as cool as this.

Jonathan rolled his eyes before smiling back at the stranger. "We're both freshmen. This is actually our first day here."

The guy stood up holding his hand out for the camera. "Ah, I should have known. You both still have that bright look in your eyes. That will be beat out of you by junior year, trust me. Anyway, can I see the photo. All pictures of me need to meet my seal of approval and i'm sorry to say that i'm quite picky about it."

I nodded before looking down at my feet. Jonathan handed him the camera and I glanced up at him passed my hair as he looked over the photo. The strangers eyes widened and I inwardly groaned, wondering if it was really that bad.

He looked over at me, his eyes still wide in shock. "Did you really take this?"

I nodded rubbing my arm nervously. He smiled looking it over again. "I've never seen such an amazing photo of me. I'm a senior majoring in fashion and my photos always seem to have something off about them. This is absolutely perfect."

My face burned as a flush took it over. I've been told I was good at what I do, but i've never been complimented like that before. Saying things like perfect. No one's ever called my work perfect before.

"What's your name," the cute boy asked smiling at me. His smile was incredibly bright, it was almost blinding. Jonathan must have agreed because he squinted a bit.

"His name is Alec and he is totally available."

I glared daggers at him but he completely ignored me, smirking at the stranger. He was so dead when we got back to the dorm room. Sleep with one eye open you traitor! You're getting a face full of pillow tonight!

The cute boy smiled. "Alec, like Alexander?"

I nodded taking my camera back from him. Our fingers brushed and for a moment I swear I felt sparks. That had to be my imagination though. That kind of thing only happens in books and movies.

"My name is Magnus Bane. It's very nice to meet you Alexander."

The way he said my name made chills run up my back. I don't think my name has ever sounded so good coming out of someones mouth.

An alarm went off on Magnus's phone and he pulled it out of his pocket, turning it off. "I have to get to class, but I hope we can talk again soon. I'd love to use your photos in my next project."

My eyes widened in shock as he waved goodbye and walked away from us. I waited for him to be completely out of sight before whipping around and punching Jonathan three times in the arm. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Ow! Stop it! He was totally into you and he loved your pictures. You should be thanking me, not hitting me."

"Oh, believe me, i'm going to do a lot more than hit you," I seethed, making him back away from me.

"Just be grateful that it wasn't Sebastian that did it. He would have been a lot more crude about it."

He was right about that. Sebastian would have said something like 'this is Alec and he wants you to fuck him in the ass'. I really would have died right there on the spot if that happened.

"Not being as bad as your brother doesn't excuse your bad behavior," I grumbled, looking over the photo on my camera again.

He shook his head, putting his arm over my shoulder. "Don't be mad at me. You can't just focus on school. There's a whole new world for you to experience here. College is for experimenting and living a fun full life."

"Yeah, I rather focus on school and survive my freshmen year. My parents are paying a lot of money for me to be here. I can't let it go to waste."

He rolled his eyes at that. "Oh please, your parents are richer than mine. You have some leanway to have fun."

I frowned looking down at the boy in the picture again. "Let's get real here Jon. There is no way someone as cool as that will be into someone like me. He was just oozing with confidence when I couldn't even open my mouth to say a word to him. I'm so pathetic."

He frowned in return, putting his arm around me again. "That's not true at all Alec. You were just a little nervous and shy. I think he thought it was cute. You have a lot to offer and any guy would be crazy not to be with you. Sebastian and I wouldn't be your friends if we didn't think you were worth the time."

That's true. Jonathan and Sebastian are incredibly picky when it comes to who they befriend. Girls want them and guys want to be them. It's hard to know who genuinely likes them or not. If we hadn't met in elementary school i'm sure they wouldn't have trusted me enough to be friends with either. The two were very guarded.

"I'm still not ever talking to him again," I mumbled starting to head back to the dorm room. He followed me smiling. "Well to be fair, you didn't really talk to him at all."

"Yeah, and i'm not going to start. You can play your mind games all you want Morgenstern, but it's not going to work on me. I am at school to learn, not make out with hot guys."

He shrugged. "Why can't you do both?"

We walked in our dorm room and I whipped around, glaring at him. "Okay Mr. Know it all. What are you going to do when your brother comes in here and tries to drag you to a frat party?"

Jonathan cringed at that the thought, shaking his head no. "Um, no. I don't do parties. Too many people and I hate close spaces."

I frowned slightly, feeling bad for making him think about it. When they were little Jonathan and Sebastian both suffered physical and mental abuse from their father. Sebastian got more of the physical side of it since he would mouth off and Valentines mental tricks wouldn't work on him.

That wasn't true for Jon though. His father used to fill his head with lies about being weak and useless before he would lock him in a closet for hours on end.

Their mother wasn't aware of the abuse until one day Clary opened the closet door and found Jonathan all bruised and crying his eyes out. Thankfully she immediately demanded for a divorce and valentine was arrested for child abuse.

If Sebastian got traumatized by the experience you would never know it. Jonathan on the other hand, has many physical and mental scars. If we are in a room with no windows he has panic attacks. If we are surrounded by big groups of people he gets tense since he can't move around freely.

"You know he is going to drag you to a party at some point. What are you going to do then? We are college kids Jon, we need to experiment and have fun," I mocked making him poute at me.

"Stop using my words against me!"

I smirked at him. "Well, I think I proved my point. The day you go to a party is the day I talk to Magnus again."

Saying the handsome strangers name made me feel like a giddy little girl. It was such a beautiful name to go with such a beautiful man!

"We will see about that," Jonathan scoffed before turning away and going to his room. I watched him go before taking my camera to my room, going to lay in bed and just admire the most gorgeous photo I have ever taken.


	2. It Started At a Party

Love From the Start: Chapter Two- It Started at A Party.

Alec Pov

"Guess what bitches, we're going out!"

I looked up from the English textbook I was studying, raising an eyebrow at Sebastian who barged into our dorm room like he owned the place.

It's been a week since we started school and it was now the first weekend of our college lives. To Jonathan and I, that means time for studying, painting and photography. For Sebastian, it means we need to go to a strangers house and get blackout drunk while dancing pressed up against another sweaty body.

Um, no thank you.

Jonathan frowned, looking away from his canvas he was currently painting on. He was wearing his dark blue overalls he always has on when painting and had red, blue, and green paint smothered all over it. A red streak was also on his cheek making me chuckle at him.

"You know I don't like going to parties Sebastian. There are too many people and you'll just abandon me to go hit on some chick."

Sebastian walked over to his twin, wrapping his arm around his neck. "I won't abandon you little brother. In fact, I really need you tonight. I met this smoking hot girl in class today and she mentioned also being a twin. She said her and her sister were going to be at this party tonight and she wanted me to bring you, so you could entertain her sister while the two of us get to know each other."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at that. "In other words, you are using me to get her sister out of the way so you can get some ass?"

Sebastian smiled at that. "See, you get me Jon. I need your help for that to happen."

He rolled his eyes, pushing Sebastian's arm off of him. "I'm not going to risk a possible panic attack and humiliation just so you can get laid. Besides, twins going on dates together is so cliche."

Sebastian glared at him before looking over at me. I felt bad for the guy so I decided to throw him a bone. "What was it you said at the beginning of the week Jonathan? We have to get out of our nests and experience the college life? The college life comes with parties."

Jonathan glared at me, obviously feeling betrayed. It didn't last long though because something seemed to click in his brain. A glint formed in his eye, making me feel nervous.

"Well Alec, what were your words again? The day I go to a party is the day you talk to Magnus? So does that mean that if I go with my brother to this party, you'll find Magnus and talk to him?"

Oh shit, he got me.

Sebastian looked between us before putting his hands on his hips in irritation. "I really hate being out of the loop so someone fill me in."

Jonathan smirked before running to my room. I gasped, knowing what he was going in there for. "Jonathan Morgenstern, don't you dare touch my camera with those paint covered hands!"

He completely ignored me, coming out of the room holding my camera. At least he was considerate enough to grab a hand towel to hold it with. "Alec was taking pictures around the fountain the other day and he took a picture of this boy. It's obvious he thought he was hot so I dragged him over to talk to the guy. Of course, he couldn't even get one word out. I had to do all the talking for him."

Sebastian took the camera, looking over the photo. "I'm surprised you still have it on here. You usually backup your photos on your computer by now."

I snatched the camera back from him glaring. "I have… I just can't bring myself to delete it off of my camera yet."

Jonathan shook his head at me before smirking at his brother. "He likes to lay in bed at night and just stare at it."

Sebastian busted out laughing from that. "Wow that's just sad."

"Can we please change the subject," I asked taking my camera back to my room. Jonathan nodded crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, how about we get back to the topic at hand. You want me to go to this party, and I want you to talk to Magnus. He will most likely be at this party tonight. I will only go if you come with me and talk to him."

Sebastian snapped his fingers before pointing at me. "That is an excellent idea. You both could use some college fun. Come on Alec, I have a hot lay riding on this. Don't make me have to stay home alone with my right hand."

"ew, gross," I cringed making them both laugh. "There is no way you can get me to go to this party. You saw what happened when I met him before. I couldn't get a single word out."

Jonathan opened his mouth to argue but his brother put his hand on his chest, stopping him before smiling smugly at me. It was never a good thing when Sebastian Morgenstern was smug.

"Jon is only going to come if you do. Either you hike up your skirt and come with us to this party, or I will find this guy and tell him every embarrassing thing you have ever done, and believe me, there are over a hundred stories for me to tell."

I frowned at that. "The London shoes?"

"Especially the London shoes," he said smirking.

I groaned running my hand over my face. Sebastian didn't make empty threats, and he really did have over a hundred horrible stories about me. Knowing him, he will twist the story around to make it seem worse than what actually happened.

"You play dirty."

"I was born dirty," he said winking before heading to the front door. "Get dressed boys. I will be back to get you in a half an hour. Look up to my standards or I will change you myself."

With those final words he headed out, closing the door behind him. Jonathan and I stared at the door before glancing at each other. He looked just as sick as I felt.

"You're crazy if you think I'm actually going to this party," I argued.

He sighed before facing me frowning. "Look Alec, I don't want to do this anymore than you do. It's going to be loud and crowded. Not to mention Sebastian is using me as a scapegoat for him to get laid. I need you there to be with me incase I can't handle it."

I sighed knowing he was right. He was stepping out of his comfort zone and trying something he knew he would hate. The least I can do is go with him and make sure he doesn't freak out.

"Fine, I will go with you to this party. However, i'm not going to talk to Magnus if he's there. I'm not ready for that yet."

He nodded glancing away and rubbing his arm nervously. "There's no point in both of us being uncomfortable."

"Believe me, i'm going to be uncomfortable. I hate crowds almost as much as you do."

I especially hate when girls press up on me and try to flirt with me. Maybe I should write 'Sorry, I'm gay' on my forehead with black marker so they won't try.

Nah, that would be stupid. Guess I just have to deal with it.

An hour later I was standing in the middle of a crowded living room, surrounded by over two hundred sweating bodies. The music was blasting, making my brain feel like it was vibrating. I looked around for my friends but they seemed to be missing. Sebastian pulled his cute little blonde date away for some 'privacy' and the girls twin sister pulled Jonathan away to go talk in a quiet room.

I let him go because being in a quiet environment will be good for him. The crowd was making him a little antsy. Feeling the same, I squeezed passed the thrusting bodies on the 'dance floor' and made my way to the kitchen to get a drink.

"So much for not leaving each others side tonight," I mumbled, picking up a two liter of Coke and twisting the cap open. I grabbed a cup and started pouring a drink, jumping out of my skin when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

My hands slipped making the bottle fall to the ground and because of being shaken, the drink shot up, soaking me from head to toe. I gasped, looking over my now soaked black T-shirt and jeans before turning around to chew out whoever scared me.

My mouth snapped shut instantly at the sight of Magnus Bane standing there. He skimmed me over with his eyes, before looking back at my face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?"

I nodded, not being able to give him a verbal answer. My jaw was locked shut. Jonathan said there was a chance he would be here but I didn't think he actually would be, or that I would have to actually speak with him. Jon wasn't here to talk for me this time. I was all on my own.

"Still not much of a talker I see," Magnus chuckled before reaching out and grabbing my hand. A flush spread across my face at that. His hand was so warm in mine and it was soft, almost like a baby.

"Come with me for a moment," he said before pulling me out of the kitchen to the staircase. It was blocked with a rope, a sign on it that said 'no entry', but he ignored it, both of us going under it and heading up the steps.

I wanted to ask him where he was taking me, but my mouth just wouldn't open. Come on Alec, stop being so pathetic! I thought that to myself but it didn't change anything.

Once we got off the stairs he led me down the hall until we got to a closed door. He opened it and pulled us both through before closing the door behind him. We ended up in a nicely decorated bedroom with magenta painted walls, small lamps that made a dim glow appear all around, and a four post bed with magenta sheer drapes hanging off of it.

Magnus let go of my hand and made his way over to the walk in closet, tapping his chin as he looked through the clothes. I bit my lip looking around before looking back at him, wondering what I should do. There is no way I could get out of this situation without talking to him, not unless I leave while his back is turned.

Just when the thought came to mind, he turned back around, holding some black jeans with rips on the knees and a fuzzy blue sweater. "Judging my the faded jeans and sweater you were wearing when we met, i'm going to assume that this is the only thing you'll willingly wear."

I wrinkled my nose at the fuzzy sweater before looking back at him. "We… we shouldn't take clothes out of random peoples closets."

Magnus seemed surprised that I actually spoke to him. He smiled and walked back up to me with the clothes still in hand. "He speaks! Anyway, you don't need to worry about the clothes. They're mine. This is my room."

My eyes widened in surprise. "You live here? You're the one throwing this party?"

He nodded handing me the clothes. "Yep and yep. Never would have thought I'd see you here. Thought you would be too shy for a social setting."

I looked down at the sweater and jeans frowning. "You'd be right about that. I've never been to a party in my whole life. The only reason I came was to support a friend. He ended up being pulled away though so I was left alone. I was getting a drink when you surprised me."

Wow, I can't believe i'm actually talking to him without passing out or throwing up on his shoes. This never happens! He hasn't laughed at my lack of social skills yet either. Maybe that's why it feels so easy to speak to him.

"Sorry again about that. I was just so surprised to see you and I wanted to catch you before losing sight of you. I shouldn't have tapped on your shoulder like that. Besides that though, are you serious about never being to a party before? You didn't go to one in highschool?"

"I've never even been to a kids birthday party before," I said shrugging.

That made Magnus's jaw drop. "Well that has to be fixed right away. There is no way you can come to college and not experience at least one party. Come on, once you change we can go downstairs and dance."

My face flushed at the thought of dancing with him. It was quickly drowned out by the dread in my stomach from the thought of being with all those people.

"No i'm good… I really don't want to go back down there. Way too many people."

Magnus seemed confused by that. "How will you enjoy the party if you don't join it?"

I shrugged setting the clothes he gave me on the bed. "You don't have to worry about me. Go back downstairs and enjoy your party. I might just head back to the dorms."

Magnus frowned seeming to be thinking something over before smiling big. He walked over to his bed and grabbed the clothes he offered me before putting them back in the closet and searching for something else. A few seconds later he pulled out fuzzy pajama bottoms with cats on them and a black concert T-shirt before handing them out to me again.

"You put these on and wait for me up here. I'll be right back okay? Promise you won't leave?"

I hesitated before taking the clothes from him and nodding. He smiled before rushing out of the room. I watched him go confused before quickly stripping out of my wet, sticky clothes and changing into the clothes he gave me.

Once I was changed I patiently waited for him to return. Almost five minutes passed and I was starting to think that he got distracted by the party and forgot I was even up here. That wasn't the case though as he returned with a tub of popcorn and a stack of movies in hand.

I raised an eyebrow at this before glancing up at him. "What's all this stuff?"

He set the stuff on his bedside table before walking over to his closet. "As the host of this party it is my job to make sure all of my guests have fun. If the actual party part isn't to your liking, then you and I can have a party of our own up here. I was thinking a movie marathon."

This guy was crazy!

"Are you crazy," I asked out loud making him laugh. "You have over two hundred people down there. You can't just ignore them and watch movies with me. What if something goes wrong?"

"Nothing will go wrong. I do this all the time. Party hard with my friends until I had enough and I sneak up to my room to watch movies."

"While the party is still going on?"

He shrugged before pulling off his shirt, imiediatly making my mouth water from looking at his lean, tone body. "Everyone knows my rules and usually respect my house. They know they need to be out by two and if they break something, they pay for it."

"That's no reason to leave strangers alone in your house. Go back down there and be with them."

Magnus took off his extremely tight jeans, making me cover my eyes with my hands. When I peeked again he was wearing fuzzy pink pajama bottoms with flamingos all over them. He seemed to have a thing for fuzzy clothing.

He walked back over to the bed, failing to put on a shirt before doing so. My face heated up as he sat on the bed and patted the spot next to him. "Come on, I won't bite."

I rubbed the back of my neck before hesitantly making my way over to the bed, sitting down next to him. I smiled before picking up a couple movies. "What should we watch first? Mean Girls? Hot Chicks? The Devil Wears Prada?"

"Yeah, I don't know what any of those are."

He gasped loudly, his eyes wide. "You've never watched Mean Girls?"

"I've never even heard of it,"

He looked at me like I was crazy and I frowned feeling like I did something wrong. Was it really so weird that I didn't know any of these movies? Isabelle used to try to get me to watch movies with her, but I always found an excuse not to. Maybe that was a mistake.

"Well I would love to show you how fetch Mean Girls is, but I think we are going to start off with my favorite," he said, holding up the one called The Devil Wears Prada.

"Why is that one your favorite," I asked taking it from him and looking it over.

He shrugged taking the disk and putting it in his Blu-ray player. "It's a movie about the fashion industry. I've grown up around that and it's what I plan to do with my future so this movie speaks to me."

I shrugged putting the case back on the bed. If Magnus likes it then I want to watch it. I want to know about the things he likes and dislikes. There is so much I want to know about him, which is strange because i've never wanted to know about someone this much.

"You plan to be a fashion designer," I asked leaning against his headboard.

Magnus propped a pillow behind my back so I was comfortable before doing the same for himself and grabbing the remote. "Not just a fashion designer. I want to become one of the greatest in the whole world. I want someone to say Magnus Bane and everyone will immediately know who I am. I want to be the fashion Beyonce!"

Smiling slightly, I tried to hold in my laugh. "Well I don't know about that last one. Beyonce is a pretty tough order to fill. Who knows though, maybe the other two things could come true. I definitely won't forget Magnus Bane."

I blushed, embarrassed by my words. What compelled me to say something like that? Magnus glanced over at me before a smile inched its way onto his face. "Well, I'm glad at least one person will remember me."

He looked back at the Tv, pushing play on the remote and I just sank more against the pillow behind me, thinking he must think i'm an idiot.

"What about you Alexander? Someone with an eye for detail like you would be a huge asset in the fashion world."

I shook my head no at that. "No way, I don't know the first thing about fashion or clothes. I wouldn't be able to tell if the picture is decent or not judging on that. No, I want to travel the world and take photos of historical sights that won't be around much longer. They are beautiful places and people in the future deserve to get the chance to see them."

Magnus hummed thoughtfully before saying, "that sounds great but also seems like a waste of your talent. That picture you took of me by the fountain was absolutely amazing. My photography partners in class all hate working with me because i'm incredibly picky and find the tiniest things to nitpick about. That wasn't the case with your photo though. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find anything wrong with it. That's never happened to me before."

I shook my head looking at the screen in front of us. "You're giving me too much credit. Really it was a spare of the moment picture. I was trying to get photos of the fountain and you so happened to be sitting there. If the picture looked good it was because you looked good."

Groaning I put my face in my hands. "Oh, I keep saying stupid things and taking too much, huh? I'm sorry."

Magnus smiled shaking his head. "Don't be sorry Alexander. I much rather hear you talk too much than not at all. I like hearing what you have to say. It's interesting."

"Even so I am done talking. I'm going to sit here and watch this movie," I declared, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of the bowl and shoving it into my mouth to further my point.

Magnus chuckled at me before turning and starting to watch the movie, his head resting in his hand that was propped up by his elbow.

The vow of silence did not last very long. This is what I hate about being comfortable around people. Once I start talking to you, I have a horrible habit of not shutting up. I pretty much word vomit everything that pops into my mind. My mind's subject of choice was the unrealistic way the fashion characters in this movie were acting.

"Why is Meryl Streep so mean in this movie? She just keeps throwing her coat at poor Anne Hathaway. Why can't she hang up her own dang coat. You can't tell me fashion people actually act like this. The movie has to just be making them look awful for entertainment."

Magnus shook his head, tossing some popcorn in his mouth. "No believe me, they actually act like that. My father is a fashion icon like the woman in this movie and he acts exactly like her. The best part of his day is making his assistance life a living hell. Bonus points if he gets them to cry or quit."

"Well… your dad sounds like a bag of sunshine."

He laughed nodding. "He is very warm and fuzzy."

I looked back at the screen, rolling my eyes at it. "Sorry, I just don't understand fashion. My sister Isabelle once came up to me asking which belt she should wear. She was holding the exact same belt in both hands. They were identical in every way. When I told her that, she chewed me out and told me I was an idiot who will never understand fashion."

"Judging by the sweater you were wearing when we met, no you do not. There's nothing wrong with that though. It takes a special eye to be able to tell what the best of the same belt she should choose. To the untrained eye they look the same. If you look closer however, the buckle might not be as shiney on one, or if it has a sparkle effect, one might shimmer brighter than another. It just all depends on what you want."

"Wow, I never really thought of it that way… fashion's still pretty dumb though."

Magnus scoffed before tossing a handful of popcorn at me.

"Hey no food throwing," I scolded, but as I did so, I grabbed a handful of my own and threw it at him.

"Says the guy who threw food back," he laughed, tossing more popcorn at me. I laughed picking up one of this pillows and using it as a shield.

"Only because you threw it first."

"Well who said you could use my pillow as a shield? Shields are for cowards," he laughed, grabbing the pillow and trying to pull it out of my hands. I clung on to it tightly, shaking my head no.

"Nah, I think i'll keep it. It's soft," I chuckled, wrapping my arms around it and holding it against my chest. Magnus raised an eyebrow at that before a slight smirk formed on his face. He grabbed one of the pillows behind him before whacking me with it, making me fall over on my side laughing. I rolled over on my back and Magnus used this chance to lay his pillow on my chest and lay on top of me, keeping me pinned beneath him. He crossed his arms over the pillow, and laid his chin on his hands, smiling at me.

"Comfy," he cooed, making me laugh.

"You're heavier then you look," I joked making him scoff and grab another pillow, putting it over my face. "You learned the secret that i'm actually fat. Now you have to die."

I shoved the pillow off my face, blowing at the strands of hair that was now in front of my eyes. "Oh please, there is barely any meat on your bones. Fat is the last thing you are."

Sexy is definetly one of them though, I thought to myself.

Magnus chuckled shaking his head before just smiling down at me, looking into my eyes. I looked back into his, never seeing such amazing eyes in all my life. They were green with speckles of gold in them. Something I didn't even think was possible.

Magnus searched my face for a moment before slowly leaning toward me. A small gasp left my mouth as his lips hovered over mine. Was he going to kiss me? I've never been kissed before. Did I even want him to kiss me?

Oh hell yeah I did!

Looking in Magnus's eyes, I slowly leaned in to break the distance between us. The moment our lips were about to brush though, his bedroom door opened and a girl with long blonde curls stormed into the room.

Magnus glanced over at her, seeming annoyed at being interrupted and I quickly pushed Magnus off of me, feeling my entire face heat up. She ignored me completely though as she turned her attention to Magnus.

"You need to come downstairs now. There's a guy completely freaking out. He has to be a freshmen because I've never seen him before."

Magnus sat up frowning. "Slow down Camille. What happened to make him upset?"

"That's the thing, i'm not really sure. A group of us were playing truth or dare. The bottle landed on Jenny and I dared her to go into the closet with her cute date and make out with him for ten minutes. She happily did it but the moment the closet door closed, the guy started having a panic attack. Jenny opened the door right away but the poor guy hasn't even noticed. He's still sitting in the closet with his head in his hands freaking out."

I sighed sitting up and getting off of Magnus's bed. There was no doubt in my mind. It was Jonathan causing the scene. I need to get down there and calm him down before Sebastian gets involved. Things will get violent if that happens.

"That's most likely Jonathan. I'll go calm him down and take him back to the dorms. He doesn't really do good in closed spaces. Just coming to this party at all was kind of pushing it for him."

Magnus frowned at that. "You're going to leave already?"

I nodded. "Sorry but my friend needs me."

He seemed disappointed but nodded in understanding. "I'll come downstairs and try to keep people out of your way."

I smiled at him, feeling a little guilty about leaving him. "Sorry to ruin your movie night."

He shrugged getting off the bed. "I'm sure we will have the chance for another one."

"Maybe you two should stop flirting for a moment and worry about the guy in the closet," the girl named Camille asked, raising an eyebrow. I glanced over at her, wondering what her relationship with Magnus was. They seemed to know each other pretty well by how Magnus talks to her.

"There is no reason why we can't do both," Magnus countered, making his way out of the room. Camille watched him go before looking back at me silently. I watched her cautiously before moving passed her and quickly making my way downstairs.

A big crowd was formed in one of the Tv rooms. They were standing close to an open closet with my best friend cowering inside. I frowned when I walked up and saw him with his knees pressed against his chest and his arms over his head. His entire body was shaking in fear and he whimpered every so often.

Slowly, I made my way to the closet and got on the floor before crawling over to him. "Jon, hey Jonathan it's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

His face lifted from his knees but he didn't turn to look at me. Instead, he looked straight ahead with wide terrified eyes.

"Dark… it's so dark in here. The walls are closing in on me. I'm sorry… Daddy… whatever I did i'm so sorry."

I frowned, feeling my heart break from hearing that. He was so afraid, that his mind sent him back to when he was a child. He thinks he's still a child getting punished by his father.

"Jonathan, it's going to be okay. You aren't with your father anymore. You can leave this closet anytime you want. No one is keeping you here."

It was as if I hadn't said a word. They didn't phase him as he drew closer into himself, his shaking getting worse. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

"What's going on here?!"

I cringed at the sound of Sebastian's voice coming into the room. Frowning at Jonathan, I made my way out of the closet before standing up again, looking at Sebastian. He looked passed me, seeing his twin curled up and terrified. That lit a fire in his dark eyes.

"What happened to my brother," he demanded, glaring at the short blonde girl who was with Jonathan earlier. My guess is that she's Jenny. She shrank back from Sebastian's hateful stare, looking in every direction except at him.

"We were playing a game and I took your brother into the closet. He started freaking out the second I closed the door. I tried to let him out but he won't budge from that spot."

Sebastian sighed, running his hand over his face before looking at me. He raised an eyebrow, glancing up and down at me from head to toe. I looked down at myself and blushed, seeing that I was still wearing Magnus's Pajamas.

"I'm not even going to ask about that. Come with me," he growled, grabbing me by the collar of the shirt and dragging me back into the closet. To my surprise, Sebastian shut the door behind him, making us become trapped and shrouded in darkness.

"What the hell are you doing? He's already freaking out enough as it is. Why would you actually trap him in here, and us for that matter?"

He ignored me, turning on the flashlight on his cell phone before handing it to me. "Hold this," he said before getting on the floor next to Jonathan. I frowned watching him and sat across from them, wondering what the twisted twin was planning.

Sebastian took a deep breath before looking at his brother frowning. "What happened Jonny?"

Jonathan's entire body shook as he closed his eyes tight. "Daddy locked us in here again. He said… he said we weren't ever coming out. Sebby, i'm scared. I don't like the dark! What if he means it this time?! What if he leaves us in here forever?!"

"So it's this memory," Sebastian whispered softly to himself before reaching out and placing his hand on top of his brothers. "Dad won't keep us here forever Jon. He can't. Mom will notice if we suddenly go missing. We'll be out by dinner, I promise."

I raised an eyebrow at Sebastian, wondering why he was talking to Jonathan as if they really were still kids trapped by their father. Was this really the best way to calm him down? Why not just tell him that everything is fine and he isn't really stuck? I half expected him to tell Jon to suck it up and kick him out of this closet.

Jonathan looked at Sebastian with tears in his eyes. "He'll let us out for dinner only to beat us so bad after that we throw up everything we eat, then he'll get mad at us for getting sick and just throw us in here again. It's always the same."

Sebastian shook his head. "It's not the same. Dad isn't going to be the one who opens the door this time. It's Clary. Clary will find us and she will tell mom and everything will be okay. You don't have to be afraid of dad anymore Jon."

"How do you know that," he whimpered frowning. Seb frowned in silence for a moment before putting his arm around Jon and pulling him close enough to lay his head on his shoulder.

"Because i'm your brother and I'll always keep you safe. I swear that I will never let anything happen to you or Clary ever again." He narrowed his eyes, squeezing his brothers tight. "We'll never be that powerless again."

Jonathan sniffled a couple times and Seb watched him before whispering, "Clary will open the door any moment now." As he said that, he leaned over with his free hand and grabbed the door knob, turning it and pushing the door open so the light from outside came flooding in. It blinded me for a moment but my eyes quickly adjusted as I shut off the phone flashlight.

Jonathan blinked a couple times before slowly lifting his head off of his brothers shoulder, looking around. He frowned at me for a moment before looking back at Sebastian, tears stinging at his eyes again.

"Seb… I'm… I'm sorr-"

Sebastian shushed him softly before putting their foreheads together so they were looking into each others eyes. They seemed to be having one of their twin moments where they read each other's minds. They can't really do that, but sometimes I swear they can.

After a moment of that, Sebastian let his brother go and made his way out of the closet. Jonathan watched him before looking at me. "I've embarrassed myself in front of all these people."

"It'll be okay," I assured, holding my hand out for his. He smiled slightly before reaching out and taking my hand. I pulled us up onto our feet before leading him out of the closet. People stared at us as we made our way through but didn't dare laugh or make a comment. The moment it looked like someone would, Sebastian would literally growl at them and they would immediately shut their mouths.

We stopped at the front door where Magnus was waiting with Camille. He glanced at Jonathan before looking at me. "Glad to see you helped him out."

Jonathan glanced away awkwardly and I smiled reassuringly at him before looking back at Magnus. "Sorry again about our movie night. Thanks for understanding."

Both Sebastian and Jonathan looked at me like I had two heads, not believing that I was actually talking to Magnus and not throwing up or passing out. It was shocking to me too.

Magnus smiled at me "Maybe we can get together this week for some coffee?"

I could feel my face heat up at the suggestion. "You want to go out for coffee with me?"

He nodded opening the front door for me. "Is tuesday good for you? I have morning classes every other day."

I thought about my schedule for a moment before nodding smiling. "Tuesday morning sounds great."

Sebastian smirked before grabbing me by the collar again. "Let's go hot shot, we have a baby to coddle," he teased pulling me through the door.

Jonathan pouted at that, following us. "I am not a baby!"

"Could have fooled me," Seb snickered, making Jonathan punch him in the arm. "God I hate you," he whined.

Sebastian and I both laughed at him as we made our way back to the dorm rooms. All the way there, I couldn't stop the fuzzy feeling inside my body. Something about Magnus Bane did this to me, and I loved it. I already couldn't wait to see him again.

Now all that was left to do was count the hours until Tuesday.


	3. It Started with Coffee

Love From the Start: Chapter Three- It Started With Coffee.

 **Five Years Later/ Present Day**

 **Magnus Pov**

I sat in a fold up chair as a couple of ladies moved around me, working their magic. One was fixing my hair while the other was focusing on my makeup. Frowning, I looked down at my phone at the time.

"Alec said he was just going to drop off some of my new headshots to our agent and then be right over for the photoshoot. That was over an hour ago. If we don't get done with these pictures on time, then that means we won't be done with the Vanity fair interview on time. If that happens, then that means there won't be any time for Alec and I to go out to dinner for our anniversary."

The girl doing my hair, who also happened to be my best friend Camille, wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Wasn't your two year anniversary two months ago?"

I rolled my eyes at her foolish question. "Yes but today is the fifth year anniversary of the day we met. It's special to me and I wanted to at least go out to dinner to celebrate it."

She laughed at that, shaking her head as she picked up some hairspray to apply to my hair. "Only you could make such a big deal over something like the day you met. I bet Alec didn't even remember this all so important day."

I pouted, hating that she was right. Alec hadn't even remembered that we met five years ago today. It's not something I can really blame him for though. He wasn't crazy obsessive about this stuff like I was. Even if he doesn't show it, I know he holds the day we met at the same high regard that I do.

God, I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was sitting by the fountain reading a incredibly boring book of poetry that Ragnor forced me to borrow, when a handsome blonde boy practically dragged a beautiful blue eyed angel in front of me.

I tried playing it cool on the outside but on the inside, I was freaking out! His blue eyes were gorgeous, along with his pale creamy skin and his raven black hair. Him standing there was enough to make my heart beat at a unhealthy rate that could put me in the hospital. Then when his friend encouraged him to speak to me, the poor thing couldn't even get a word out.

His shyness made my heart practically come bursting out of my chest at that point.

My giddiness soon died down though when his friend told me that the blue eyed beauty took my photo and wanted me to approve it for him. I am incredibly picky when it comes to photos of me. They have to be one hundred percent perfect in every way and no one has ever even come close to that.

When I took the camera and looked over the photo, I was left breathless. Everything was perfect to the way I was sitting, the gleam of the sun setting on the water coming out of the fountain, the red and orange autumn leaves surrounding me.

It was as breathtaking as the boy who took the photo.

"Well I think it's romantic that you still remember the day you met your boyfriend," the girl doing my makeup chimed in, making me smile at her. It made me feel a little guilty that I couldn't remember her name. A lot of people do my makeup and it's hard to keep track of them all.

"I remember everything when it comes to Alexander. Even the first words he ever spoke to me."

She finished applying eyeshadow to my lids before leaning back excitedly. "Oh that's cute. What were they? I bet they were super romantic if you remember it so well."

I practically swooned as I pressed my face against my palm. "It sure was."

Camille raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh yeah, what was it?"

"We shouldn't take clothes out of random peoples closets," I sighed dreamily, making the girls stare at me in complete silence. Camille smacked her face with the palm of her hand before shaking her head at me.

"I should not even be surprised that you found something so random romantic. Alec spilled coffee on himself during your first date and I had to hear you go on and on about how adorably flustered he was. You find the strangest things attractive."

"We dated once, which means I found you attractive at one point. What does that say about you," I asked, looking at her over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow. She shrugged, putting the brush in her hand down on the table.

"It means I had a moment of insanity. That's Alec's problem now though, not mine."

"Says the girl who is engaged to Sebastian Morgenstern, the craziest guy I have ever met in my entire life."

"Hey! Sebastian is the sweetest guy in the world! You just don't know him like I do!"

I chuckled at that. "You think that, yet somehow i'm the crazy one."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Say one more word about my man and I will turn your hair into a porcupine."

"Okay, okay, I get it. He's a cuddly sheep in wolves clothing. Whatever you say your highness."

The door to my dressing room opened and I gasped excitedly, looking toward it, only to be disappointed when Alec wasn't the one to walk through it. Instead, it was the director of this photoshoot and one of my old friends from Art school, Raphael Santiago.

"Bad news Magnus, traffic is bad and Alec is stuck right dab in the middle of it. He hasn't even got to the agency yet. If we want to keep on track, we will have to use one of the photographers on standby."

"Excuse me? I had to have heard wrong because I thought you just said I needed to let someone other than Alec take my picture. That has to be wrong though, because I know you aren't stupid enough to actually say something like that to me."

Raphael sighed running his hand down his face before placing it on his hip. "Look Magnus, I know you are picky about your photos, but we can't afford to wait for Alec. These pictures need to be out by tomorrow."

I stood up, shrugging. "Okay fine, use the amature photographer. I hope you know that I need to approve every photo before it is used. If it is not up to my standards then we will take the picture again. We will just keep taking it over and over and over again until I think it is perfect. How long do you think that will take Raphael? I'll tell you, longer than it would take to wait for Alec to get here. Is that what you want?"

"Come on Magnus, don't be like this," he groaned but I just crossed my arms over my chest, turning my face away in answer.

"Dios, you are such a diva when Alec isn't here. Fine, we will wait for him. The time wasted comes out of your pay though," he said before storming out. Camille watched him go before looking at me.

"This is why people are afraid to work with you."

I shrugged, sitting back in my chair and crossing my legs. "Either Alec takes my picture or no one does. Everyone knows this. I don't know why they try to even suggest any other option."

She shook her head, grabbing her hair tools and starting to put them back in her bag. "You rely too much on Alec. I know he helped you a year ago when you were in a bad place, but maybe you should try to wean off of him, even just a little bit. He can't even go somewhere for an hour without you whining about it."

I pouted, remembering how Alec made us take separate taxis and told me to come here ahead of him. I hated going anywhere without him and I especially hated being in the car alone. It was too quiet in the car and it made my brain start wondering. I don't like when that happens. Too many things to be anxious about.

Alec gives me peace in a world of constant motion and chaos.

"I need distractions or else I get antsy," I mumbled, glancing away from her. She sighed before putting her hands on my shoulders, rubbing them gently.

"Yes, but there is more than just Alec in your life. Theres me, Ragnor, Catarina, and even Raphael. You can't just put all of your weight on Alec. He might be holding it fine now, but eventually it will crush him. Let your friends hold your weight as well."

I looked up at her frowning. "Are you telling me i'm fat?"

"Don't even joke about that Magnus. You know that's not what I mean."

She grabbed her bag, putting it on her shoulder before leaning down and kissing me on the cheek. "Your hair is done, there's nothing else for me to do here. Do you want me to stay with you until Alec gets here?"

I shook my head no. "I know you want to get home to Sebastian. You're supposed to go to dinner with his mom tonight right? I'll be fine."

She looked at me skeptically for a moment before nodding and kissing my cheek again. "Call me if you need me. You better be dying though," she joked making me laugh. She winked at me before leaving the room, the girl who did my makeup following her.

I watched them go before leaning back in my chair, turning my head to the side to look in the mirror. There was a time when I couldn't even let myself do that. There was so much insecurity and doubt inside me. Alec saved me from that.

The reason I make such a big deal about the day we met is because I don't know what my life would have been like if I never met him. Sure, when we met he was the insecure one and I was dripping with confidence but even then, he was still the anchor in my life. He grounded me in a way no one else could, and believe me, a lot of people had tried.

I glanced down at the little mug of coffee sitting on the table next to me, a small smile appearing on my face as I thought about our first date. I had invited Alec out for coffee after he had to leave my party early. Alec claims it wasn't a date because we weren't dating, but I will always consider it our first date. It was just too great not to.

Closing my eyes, I laid my head back, smiling as I thought about that amazing day five years ago.

 **Five Years Ago**

"So you asked him out for coffee," my friend Ragnor asked, taking pictures of me. We were in class and I was sitting in front of a nature backdrop made out of a blown up photo of colorful fall leaves, wearing an outfit I made for my 'Fall Collection' project.

It was made up of a dark blue shirt, white tight pants, knee high black boots, and a black cardigan. A crimson red scarf was also thrown fashionably around my neck. I applied a touch of black eyeliner to bring out my eyes and pop with the cardigan.

Ragnor was my photographer for this project, only because no one else wanted to work with me. He didn't want to work with me either, but since we're friends, the professor shoved him my way. Ragnor was a great photographer, but like everyone else, I found more flaws than good in his pictures.

"I did," I answered him, changing my pose from having crossed legs to leaning back on my hands. "I'm considering it our first date."

"Right. Does he know that it's a date?"

I heard the click of the camera before changing my pose again. "Nope. I won't tell him it's a date either."

He raised an eyebrow at that before putting his camera in front of his face again, taking more photos. "That sounds very unlike you? Do I even want to know why you are going on a one sided date with this boy?"

I shrugged standing up. "He couldn't even talk to me when we met. A date this soon would just scare him off. He can't know that it's a date."

"Well then it's not really a date," he said before scrunching up his nose in thought. "Wait a second, he couldn't speak to you? Is this the same guy you were gushing about the other day in Economics class?"

I nodded doing one more pose before walking over to him. "Yes it is and i'm still gushing over him. He's the cutest person i've ever met in my entire life. We're going to get married for sure."

He raised an eyebrow at that, holding his camera out for me to check over the photos. "Are you forgetting that you are a senior and he's a freshman? Your career is going to take you out of New York alot. Do you really think that kind of relationship will work out?"

"Well don't go ruining my relationship before it even starts," I mumbled irritably, turning my attention to the photos. Each one made me want to cringe. The outfit itself was fine but the leaves in the background didn't look real enough and don't get me started with everything wrong with me in general.

"I look fat in all these," I pouted.

Ragnor rolled his eyes. "You say that about every photo and I keep telling you you're crazy. There is barely any meat on your bones. If anything, you need to gain some weight. Eat a damn cheeseburger!"

"Did I hear someone talking about lunch? I'll go if your buying," Camille cheered cascading over to us. Ragnor turned to her crossing his arms over his chest.

"Camille, tell Magnus that he isn't fat and he needs to stop being so damn doubtful and picky."

The blonde snorted, a very ungraceful noise that you would not think could come out of such a beautiful young lady. "Oh please, if I could convince Magnus of anything, he would have matching poodles with me and agree to get a retirement home together in Hawaii someday."

"I keep telling you that i'm a cat person, As for the retirement home, I plan on growing old with whomever I marry. You make it sound like neither of us will ever get hitched. You definitely will be married before you're thirty."

"Maybe I don't want to ever get married. Maybe I want to run a high end fashion company and run your father out of business… or become a makeup artist, whichever one is easier to obtain. Besides that, I'm pretty sure there isn't a man out there who can handle my crazy."

"You are kind of crazy," I agreed, Ragnor nodding as well.

"Ragnor is right though Magnus. I know you want to be a fashion designer and a model, but if the way you look bothers you so much, maybe you should just settle for being a designer behind the scenes. I'd hate for this to grow into a harmful problem."

I rolled my eyes at that. "I'm not like all those other models. I would never resort to harmful methods to feel worthy. I'm not that desperate."

"Could have fooled me," Ragnor mumbled before sighing, putting his camera in his bag. "So I take it we will be redoing this photoshoot?"

I nodded thinking about it. "I will be anyway. Not that I don't love you darling, but I think I need to go in another direction."

Camille frowned at that. "Magnus, you don't have any other direction to go. No one else is going to work with you. You're going to get kicked out of the program if you don't start making compromises."

"Oh please, if I haven't been kicked out by now, there is no way they ever do it. I'm the best designer in this entire school and everyone knows it."

A couple of eavesdropping students turned back to glare at me, not liking my comment. I stuck my tongue out at them before grabbing my bag. "You don't have to worry about me Camille. I may have one more ace up my sleeve."

"Whatever it is it won't work," Ragnor chimed, making me flip him the bird.

"We will see about that."

That Tuesday morning I sat in the coffee shop with a frappe with every sugary thing known to man inside it. I was definitely going to be on a sugar high today but it was worth it. After visiting with Alec I have to get back to working on my fall project. Hopefully, if this morning goes the way I want, I'll be getting some help with that.

Everytime the bell on the door would ring, I would perk up with excitement, only to be disappointed when it wasn't Alec. What was taking him so long? We set a time and everything. Was he standing me up?

The thought of that made me frown slightly. Why would he stand me up? I thought he liked me. Maybe I read the signs wrong. It's kind of hard to read someone like Alec wrong though. He was way too adorable not to be attracted to me.

 _Maybe you just aren't as good as you thought._

I shook that thought out of my head, biting my lip. What was happening to me lately? I'm Magnus Freaking Bane. Banes don't second guess themselves. They have confidence at all times, even if it means faking it.

"Magnus… are you okay?"

I jumped in surprise before looking to my right, immediately breathless from what I was seeing. Alec actually look… amazing. He had on a nice maroon colored sweater and what looked like new black jeans. He was also wearing a leather jacket over his sweater with a matching maroon scarf around his neck. I don't know what was more shocking, that Alec dressed nice for our one sided date, or that his sweater and scarf matched.

"Sorry I'm late. My parents wouldn't get off the phone with me this morning. Between them and my siblings, I was pretty much trapped for an hour. Have you been waiting long?"

I shook my head no, giving him a dazzling smile. It seemed to give the effect I wanted because a slight pink flush spread across his cheeks and it wasn't from the brisk fall air.

"Not at all, I only got here a few moments ago," I lied. In truth, I have been waiting for about twenty minutes. It didn't matter though. Alec was here now.

He sat across from me pulling the scarf off before setting it next to him on the booth. He was holding a small cup of coffee in one hand that I hadn't noticed before. I raised an eyebrow at it. "How do you take your coffee."

He glanced away in a guilty manner before glancing back at me. "Well… I like it black."

"Gross, who likes black coffee? It's so bitter," I laughed making Alec smirk at me.

"It's not that bad. What do you have there? Diabetes in a cup?"

"Yes, in fact I do. I will die young but at least I will die happy."

"There are other ways to die old and happy you know," he laughed. I was completely mesmerised by his laughter. It seemed to brighten up his entire face, making him impossibly more beautiful.

"God you're beautiful." The words escaped my lips before I could even stop them. Alec abruptly stopped laughing, looking around slightly flustered before looking back at me, biting his lip slightly.

"You might want to get some glasses… i'm nothing special."

That self insult made me frown. "Are you kidding me? Have you not seen the way you take pictures? Only someone completely amazing can do something like that."

He smiled at me but it was more of a grimace. "You only saw one photo."

"Yes but I can tell you are a genius even with just that one photo. If you impress me, then you are really special. Speaking of which… I actually was hoping you could help me with a teeny tiny project of mine."

Alec raised an eyebrow at that. "Did you ask me out to coffee to ambush me Magnus Bane?"

I shook my head no, holding up my hands. "I swear I did not intend to bother you with this when I invited you. This is a recent problem that accumulated yesterday."

He watched me skeptically for a moment before nodding to tell me to continue. "Do you remember how when we met I told you that I am incredibly picky when it comes to how my pictures look?"

He nodded and I continued. "Well everyone in my class has given up on me and don't want to work with me anymore. They say that they can't deal with my needs and even my closest friends can't handle it anymore. I was thinking that maybe you could assist me since the photo you took of me last time was so great."

Alec bit his lip thinking about it. "I'm just a freshmen. There is no way I can be qualified to help with a seniors project. I've only been here for a week."

"You have been taking pictures all your life haven't you?"

He nodded thoughtfully, taking small sips of his coffee. "You could say that. I got my first camera at ten and have been taking pictures ever since. I mostly take pictures of nature though. The most people I have photographed are family photos. I really don't know what to look for to make sure your project is perfect."

I smiled, glad he was at least thinking about it. "I have an outfit made and everything that has to do with fashion already taken care of. I just need you to come to the studio and take photos. Tell me how I should be standing and easy things like that. I have a Fall backdrop we can use."

Alec immediately frowned at that. "No."

I frowned in return. "No to helping me?"

He shook his head. "No to the backdrop. I won't be able to do my best work if I can't even see what the background is. If you want my help, we need to go to a real place with real trees and leaves."

I smiled excitedly. "There is a park not too far from campus, we could go there tomorrow whenever you're free. Does this mean you're going to help me?"

He nodded, taking a big gulp of his coffee before setting it back on the table. "I may regret it… but yes. I'll help you with your project."

I squealed happily before standing up and moving to the other side of the booth, sliding in next to Alec and throwing my arms around him tightly, making a squeak sound escape his mouth.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much! You will not regret this and I promise I will try not to be too impossible! You don't know how much this means to me!"

Alec patted my head, his voice coming out strained as he said, "you're welcome, now can you please let me go. I can't breathe."

"Oh, sorry." I let him go and he took in a deep breath of air. Guess I was holding him just a bit too tight.

"Is there anything I can do for you in return Alexander?"

He glanced over at me thinking before shaking his head no. "Not that I can think of. I haven't really gotten a good grasp on my classes yet."

"Well let me know if you need help with any of them. I may not look it, but i'm really smart. Of course, my friends would disagree with that statement but I am, trust me."

He smiled, and it brightened up his face almost as much as his laugh. "That's nice of you to offer. I'll keep it in mind."

I thought about going back over to my side of the booth, but it felt nice to sit so close to Alec. Even with the cold leather jacket on, his body heat was incredibly warm. It wasn't just that though. There was just something warming in general about him. He gave out the vibe of being a protector.

I've always admired people like that.

"You look really nice today. Leather has never looked better. Though, I never saw you as the leather wearing type." The compliment made Alec's face flush slightly.

"My love for leather is a… very embarrassing story."

"Oh, well you can't tell me something like that and then not expect me to get the story behind it. Do tell."

He shook his head, hiding his face behind his hands. "No. Nope there is no way I can tell you about it. I don't even know why I brought it up in the first place. Please don't make me tell you."

That just made me smirk. "Well now you definitely need to tell me. Pretty please Alexander?"

He peeked at me from behind his fingers before sighing, dropping his hands. "Fine… but you need to swear that you won't laugh."

Smiling, I pretending to zip my lip before leaning in, anticipating the story. Alec rubbed his arm nervously before looking down at the table. "Okay… so when I was little I found out I was gay when my father brought home a boy named Jace. He became my adoptive brother but he was also my first crush for the longest time. Keep in mind, there is no attraction to him now whatsoever."

"Of course not," I chuckled making him glare at me. I put up my hands smiling. "I know, I know, no laughing. I'm sorry. Please continue."

He kept silent for a long moment but eventually continued. "Well one time we were at a coat store and my mom thought it would be cool if Jace and I had matching leather jackets. We tried them on and Jace said that I looked really good in it. Because of his compliment… I thought that if I wore leather jackets all the time… he would eventually feel attracted to me and we would get married, buy a condo in the Hamptons and get three dogs."

"I hear the Hamptons are beautiful this time of year," I agreed, trying to keep in my laughter. He shook his head at me before picking up his coffee again.

"Anyway, he never fell for me and eventually I figured out that my feelings for him were no more than a little crush. By time I found out though, I was in love with leather jackets and couldn't give them up."

"Well they really do look great on you. I definitely appreciate them."

Alec shook his head at me before looking at the sleeve of his jacket. "I've had this one for years. It's all scuffed up and has a couple rips. I need to get a new one but I only like real leather and that can be expensive. I don't like to spend a lot of money on clothes."

'That's obvious' I thought to myself but just smiled innocently.

An alarm went off on Alec's phone making him sigh and pull it out of his jacket pocket. "I have to get to my afternoon classes soon. I'm sorry being late gave us less time to talk."

"Well do you have classes tomorrow? All I have is lab, but since we will be spending that time at the park, taking pictures, it will count as class time."

He shook his head no. "I have no classes tomorrow so I am free to help you for as long as it takes… okay, maybe not all day. The Art program have gallery viewings every month of the students art and Jonathan's painting might be one of them, so I will have to go to that."

"Freshmen usually aren't good enough to be in the gallery. The teachers are very picky about who they choose. They only pick six students out of all the classes. He may not get in till next year, but if he does then he will be the first Freshmen ever to do so."

Alec smiled confidently at that. "If anyone can do it, Jonathan can. His paintings are incredible."

His words made me smile. Alec seemed like the kind of guy who was confident in others skills and talent, but couldn't even stop to see his own. Hopefully the photoshoot goes well so I can give him all the praise he clearly deserves.

I stood up to let Alec out of the booth. "So we will meet in the park around ten tomorrow morning. Do you know how to find it? If not, I can meet you at the dorms and we can walk there together."

Alec shook his head smiling. "I know where the park is. It shouldn't be too hard to find. Just make sure to stay close to the entrance so we don't miss each other."

I nodded. "Good idea. Thanks for coming out to coffee with me Alec. It was short, but it was also a lot of fun."

Alec smiled, and once again I was left breathless by it. "I had fun too Magnus. See you tomorrow."

He grabbed his school bag, draping the strap over his shoulder before giving me one last smile and heading out. I watched him as he left and even from outside the window until he was out of sight. Smiling giddily, I pulled out my phone and texted Ragnor four simple words.

 **Best. First. Date. Ever!**


	4. It Started In The Park

Love From the Start: Chapter Four- It Started in the Park.

 **Alec Pov**

"What exactly am I looking at here," Jonathan asked, from our couch in our small dorm room.

"Not really sure, but can you make it stop? He's been doing this for an hour now and it's starting to give me a migraine," Sebastian groaned, rubbing at his temples.

They were talking about the fact that I have been pacing back and forth, stressing out about helping Magnus with his project tomorrow. How was I supposed to take perfect photos of fashion when I know nothing about it? There was no way I could do it.

Finally Jonathan sighed and got off the couch, walking up to me and grabbing me by the arms, stopping my pacing. "Alec, calm down. Whatever you're freaking out about, it can't really be that bad. Just sit down and tell us what's going on."

I calmly let out a slow breath before letting him lead me over to the couch. We sat down and Sebastian leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "Okay, tell us what's up. You've been freaking out ever since you went to coffee with that guy."

He immediately lost his smirk and leaned forward again, his eyes looking deadly. "He didn't do something to hurt you, did he? Cause if he did, i'll go hunt him down and kill him right now."

My eyes widened slightly, surprised he would say something like that. He normally was only protective like that when it came to Jonathan and his little sister Clary. He only cares about protecting the people close to him. Did he really consider me one of those people?

"Magnus didn't hurt me in any way. The coffee meeting went great."

"Coffee meeting? Alec, i'm pretty sure that was a date," Jonathan corrected, smiling.

I shook my head no. "Nah, Magnus wouldn't want to go on a date with someone like me. Besides, he might already be dating someone."

That made me frown as I thought about the beautiful blonde girl that came to Magnus's room to tell him about Jonathan's meltdown. The two of them bantered as if they were close. Maybe they were dating and the moment Magnus and I had that night was just that, a moment.

"Let's agree to disagree. Now tell us what has you freaking out so much," Sebastian asked, still looking worried for me. There was no evidence on his face that he was worried. I've just known him long enough to tell when he was.

"Well… Magnus wants me to help him with one of his projects. I guess all his classmates gave up on him because of how picky he is and he thinks that just because I took one good photo, that I can do a completely perfect shoot for him."

"Okay… I don't see the problem," the twins said in unison, making a shiver go up my back. It always weirded me out when they talked at the same time. Freaky twin stuff.

"The problem is, what if he looks over my pictures and doesn't think they are perfect this time? What if he becomes disillusioned and doesn't ever want to speak to me again? I don't want him to hate me."

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Alec, you're being ridiculous… again. There is no way he will hate you just because your photos might turn out bad."

Jonathan nodded in agreement. "He's right. Besides, you shouldn't even be worrying about this. You are amazing with your camera. Just do what you always do and everything will work out fine. When is the photoshoot?"

"Tomorrow. We are meeting in the park in the morning and spending the day there to get some nature shots. He wanted to use a fake nature backdrop, can you believe that? I thought he wanted perfection."

The twins both smirked at me again and I rolled my eyes at them. "Being mad over a backdrop has nothing to do with fashion. It's the nature photographer inside me. Just because I know how to make a good atmosphere for pictures doesn't mean I can help Magnus."

"Sounds to me like you can," Jonathan soothed, rubbing my shoulder.

I glanced up at him passed my hair before fully looking up at him. "Enough about me. Have you found out if your painting is in the showcase tomorrow night?"

He shrugged, letting his hand slide off my shoulder and onto his lap. "They don't tell us if we get in or not. We just show up and see if our paintings are on the wall. I'm not holding my breath on it. I'm only a Freshman. Freshman never get picked to be in the showcase."

"Oh please, you are better than any of those other painters," Sebastian sneared. "You are the modern day Picasso."

Jonathan sulked. "More like Bob Ross."

"Who is equally as talented," I chimed in smiling.

"Yeah, Bob Ross is the shit," Sebastian agreed, smirking.

Jonathan rolled his eyes at us before looking back at his brother. "Enough about me, how are you doing in your acting classes?"

Sebastian groaned, throwing his body across the couch so he was laying in our laps, and he threw him arm over his head dramatically. "Don't even mention that class to me. I want to be a serious actor in big time movies. My professor on the other hand thinks that I should be in musical theater. Who in the hell gets famous from being in musical theater?"

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel?"

"Barbra Streisand, lin-Manuel Miranda," Jonathan continued.

"Andrew Rannells," we said together, making Sebastian roll his eyes and reach up, covering both of our mouths with his hands.

"Okay, fine. So some people managed to make it big on a stage. That doesn't mean I would. I don't even sing. What part of him thought putting me in musical theater was a good idea?"

He dropped his arms back on the couch and Jonathan frowned slightly at him. "You used to sing all the time when we were kids. You have an amazing voice. Mom would love to listen to you while she painted."

"Dad hated my singing," was the only response he gave to that.

Jonathans slight frown turned sadder at the thought of their father making Sebastian stop singing. "Well, have you thought of trying to sing again? I bet your professor sees something in you that even you can't see."

Sebastian rolled his eyes at that. "I'm never singing again and there's no way I'm going into musical Theater. Either they put me in the real acting classes, or I start a riot. They really don't want to see what will happen if I have to start a riot."

I shook my head no. "Pretty sure our high school is still recovering from the riot you threw when they tried to give us school uniforms."

He scoffed and sat up. "They weren't even the cute uniforms where girls have the short plaid skirts and button up tops. Everyone would have worn ugly, uncomfortable khaki pants and hideous collared shirts. No one would have been happy. I did that stupid school a favor!"

"You also got suspended for a month," Jonathan sighed, shaking his head.

"It was totally worth it. I was a hero in the eyes of the student body… at least for a couple days. They went back to thinking I was crazy a few days later. I swear, I don't even know why I bother trying to help people. No appreciation I tell you."

Jonathan shook his head. "Right. Well can go you be appreciated from your own room. Alec and I have studying to do and you will just distract us."

Sebastian scowled but got off the couch anyway. "You're lucky I don't want to be dragged into your study party. I'm going to go to the cafe down the block and see if there are any cute girls."

"You leave those poor girls alone," I yelled after him but he completely ignored me as he left the room. Jonathan watched him go before rubbing his temples sighing.

"Why is it that every time my brother is in the room, I develop a migraine?"

"It must be contagious because I have one too. Forget that though, was there a class we needed to study for? I thought we hadn't gotten any work yet this week. Did I fall asleep in one of the classes we have together or something?"

Jon shook his head no, glancing away and fidgeting with his fingers awkwardly. That was usually his tell tale sign that he had something personal to talk about, but didn't know how to bring it up. So, I did it for him.

"Hey are you okay? Got something on your mind?"

He looked up at me before glancing away again. "Yeah… It's about the party last weekend…"

We hadn't really addressed what happened in the closet that night at the party. Sure, Sebastian and I teased him slightly about it, but we both knew it was a serious situation. Seb said that it's been a long time since he's had a panic attack that bad. He thinks something else must have made him on edge before he even went into the closet.

"What about the party," I finally asked.

He bit his lip, looking away from me. "Something happened that night that I thought I could forget about… but for some reason I can't get it out of my head."

"Is this about your attack," I asked leaning in closer to show he had my full attention.

"No… it may have helped cause it though. The situation kind of stressed me out and made me feel… confused."

"Well I'm the expert on being confused. What happened? Did you sleep with that Jenny girl?"

"No!" he protested before looking away, wringing his hands tightly. "She is kind of apart of it though. See, she forced me to play this ridiculous game called spin the bottle-"

"Oh no. Nothing good ever comes out of that game," I mumbled.

He shrugged slightly, his face flushing a bit. In fact, his face has been pink ever since we started this conversation. Jonathan isn't much of a blusher. I mean yeah, he gets nervous sometimes but never shy.

"Well I told Jenny that I wasn't comfortable playing but she eventually wore me down until I agreed. I spun the bottle and… well… itlandedonaguy."

"Sorry what? I didn't hear that foreign language you made up at the end."

He took a deep breath before shouting "It landed on a guy!"

I gasped in the same loud obnoxious way Isabelle did when I told her that her identical belts were indeed identical. "No way! Did you kiss him?!"

"No… he kissed me…"

My jaw dropped and I had no power of closing my mouth. I was just in too much shock.

"He kissed you?"

Jonathan ran his hand through his hair, his face now tomato red. "I don't know what happened. The bottle landed on him and I was a blubbering mess, trying to find a way out of actually kissing another guy. The guy laughed, told me I was adorable and then grabbed me by the back of my neck, pulling me closer and pressing our mouths together. I got kind of light headed after that and didn't know what was around me for several minutes."

"In other words, the world around you faded and it was only you and him, like in the movies?"

"I… I guess. That's not all of it though."

My eyes widened in shock. "There's more?"

He nodded. "Before I say anymore, can you tell me what excuse Jenny told you about the closet situation?"

"She said that you all were playing truth or dare and Someone dared her to take you into the closet and make out with you. Magnus's possible girlfriend said the same thing."

His eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. "That's not what happened… I mean yeah, the truth or dare thing is true but it wasn't Jenny I went into the closet with."

My eyes got wider if that was even possible. "Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, did you make out with that guy in a literal gay closet?"

"No! I mean, yeah I almost did but then the door shut and… yeah you know what happened next."

I frowned even more confused than before. "He wasn't there when I got downstairs. Did he just abandon you?"

He shook his head going back to wringing his hands. "I thought I heard him say something about finding me a paper bag to breath into but I honestly can't remember. Things started fading back and forth between the present and my childhood. If the guy liked me before, he must think i'm crazy now."

I shook my head to clear it. "Wait, hold up. Did you want him to like you? Did you like him? Are you coming out to me right now?"

He glanced up at me. "Yes, I don't know, and… I think I am."

I was just so stunned. "So like… do you think you're gay or…?"

"Um, i'm not really sure. Maybe Bisexual? I still think girls are attractive… it's just that ever since that guy kissed me, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it or him. I didn't even get his name or find out what he's studying. We didn't talk much."

"Have you told Sebastian yet," I asked with a raised eyebrow.

His flushed face paled at the question. "I can't tell him. What if he hates me? What if my mother and Clary hate me? They are the only family I have left. I can't go back to having my family hate me."

Frowning I laid my hand on his back, rubbing it up and down soothingly. "You know there is no possible way your family can hate you. Especially Sebastian. The guy would eat rusty nails for you. He doesn't hate that i'm gay… honestly a part of me wishes he did so he wouldn't embarrass the crap out of me every time he finds another gay and tries to hook us up."

"Do you think he will try to hook us up," he asked jokingly.

"Ew gross. No offense to you. I love you but just not in that way. Had a tiny crush on you when we met in elementary school but your brother scared me out of that real quick."

Jonathan groaned, putting his face in his hands. "That's the thing. It's going to be even worse if he doesn't hate me. Either way he will treat me different. He'll give my dates the scary 'hurt him and i'll hurt you' speech and scare them all away. He'll treat me like Clary and all my dates like Jace."

I couldn't disagree with that. "Sebastian does get very intense when it comes to who clary dates. He almost tossed Jace out a window when he walked in on them making out on her bed."

I thought it was hilarious but Jace is still pretty traumatized over the event. Not because he almost got thrown out of a window, but because that night Sebastian got his real revenge by putting live baby ducks in Jace's bed while he was sleeping.

"Anyway, I think you should tell him. Do it tomorrow night before the art gallery showing. I'll be with you as support okay?"

He took in another deep breath before nodding. "Okay, that sounds good. I just wish I got that guys name."

"Well he has to go to Idris Academy right? I'm sure you will see him around somewhere."

"This campus is huge Alec."

"I believe in fate," I shrugged before standing up. "Now, if we aren't going to study then I have to get my equipment ready for the photoshoot tomorrow. If I prepare ahead of time, maybe I won't panic so much tomorrow."

"Whatever you say Alec."

The next day I stood at the entrance of the park with a bag of camera equipment, feeling like a complete idiot. I was a half an hour early. What was I thinking coming so soon? I just got over excited and couldn't wait anymore.

Our coffee meeting was just so nice and a part of me wanted to see Magnus again right away. Hopefully today we will be able to spend a little longer together.

Speaking of coffee, I was holding a cup in each hand, making me feel toasty warm. The barista knew Magnus's order so luckily it's made the way he likes it. The problem is though, me saying I wanted black coffee somehow translated to her as saying 'I want the same thing he's having.' So now I also had diabetes in a cup. Not sure how Magnus can drink this stuff daily. All this sugar makes me feel antsy… but that could also be the nerves.

"Alexander, you're here already? Here I thought I was early," Magnus's voice hit my ears from behind and I felt heat creep into my cheeks. I love the way he says 'Alexander'. It has a hint of seduction in it when he speaks it… but that could be my own pining ass overthinking things.

"Yeah I was in the area and just decided to come early. I got you some coffee, just the way you like it," I blurted out all at once, practically shoving the cup in his face. He chuckled taking the cup from my hands and taking a sip. He let the flavor sit on his tongue for a moment before smiling.

"It's perfect. Thank you Alexander."

I bit my lip, my full name once again making tingles go up my spine. "No need to thank me. It's not like I made the coffee or anything. I just got it from the cafe. I got the same thing. It's delicious," I lied, taking a big sip to prove my point. It took everything I had to swallow the overly sweet beverage without gagging and after it went down, I tried to give Magnus a convincing smile.

By the way Magnus laughs at me, it seems I failed. My smile came out more like a grimace.

"Let me guess, they pretended not to hear your order because they thought black coffee was too plain and so they gave you the same kind as me to prove to you that it's better."

I frowned at that. "Would they really do that?"

He nodded. "They would and they have. How do you think I got addicted to this much sugar in the first place. In my Freshmen year, I only had coffee with Caramel in it."

I looked down at my cup before sighing and dropping it in the trash bin next to me, making Magnus laugh. "Wow Alec, you make the simplest things funny. I'm so excited to work with you."

"We'll see if you still say that after the photoshoot. Just because I managed to give you one 'perfect picture' as you put it, doesn't mean it will happen again. You might come to find you hate my work."

"I don't think that's possible," he shrugged, making his way more into the park. I glanced down at my equipment bag before sighing and following him. Looking at him from behind, I couldn't help but admire his outfit of choice for the shoot.

He was wearing tight white pants that left little to the imagination as they cupped his ass perfectly… not that i was looking at his ass, because I totally wasn't… much. Anyway, besides the pants, he had on a gray wool coat over a dark blue shirt that seemed like the same shade as my eyes, but i'm going to once again say that's my pining ass putting stuff in my head.

Wow i'm thinking about ass a lot today.

"You look lost in thought Alec. Something on your mind," Magnus asked looking back at me over his shoulder. Panicking that he could somehow read my indecent thoughts, I shook my head so fast I swear I felt my brain rattling in my skull.

Magnus chuckled before looking straight ahead again. "Where should we start boss?"

I looked around thinking about it before turning back to him. "Is there a place with water? A lake or something?"

He nodded pointing to the right. "There is a pond somewhere over there? Why do you ask?"

I shrugged making my way down the sidewalk. "I want to get some shots of you by the water. Colorful leaves and ponds are great for a Fall like atmosphere."

Magnus smiled, seeming impressed. "You really know your stuff don't you Alexander?"

I shrugged glancing away bashfully from his compliment. "Only when it comes to nature. I don't know anything about fashion design or modeling. This is all very new to me."

He shrugged. "Well i'm glad we get the chance to put our genius together. We'll be an unstoppable force of nature and fashion."

I couldn't help but smile at that. "I wouldn't call us unstoppable."

Magnus stopped walking before turning around and flicking me on the forehead. An eep sound escaped passed my lips, making him chuckle.

"Stop doubting Malec!"

I raised an eyebrow at that. "What's Malec?"

He shrugged starting to walk again. "It's our team name. Magnus and Alec together. Malec."

"Wow i can just hear the fangirls squealing now," i joked, making him playfully punch me in the arm.

"Scoff if you must Alexander but just you wait. Malec will be the greatest thing in the world."

I glanced down at my camera bag frowning slightly. "No pressure or anything."

Magnus waved a dismissive hand. "Stop worrying so much. You're going to do great."

We got to the pond and I looked around before spotting a picnic table. I pointed to it saying, "go over there and sit on the bench. Maybe lean your elbows on the table as you lean slightly back."

I didn't know if that was good directions or not, but Magnus didn't say anything if it was. He took a sip of his coffee before going to set it on the ground next to my equipment. Something flickered inside my brain and before I knew it, I was spouting out, "Wait. Take the coffee with you. We can have you sitting on the bench holding coffee while you look in the distance."

 _While you look in the distance? What the heck is that Alec?!_

I was internally screaming, waiting for Magnus to laugh at me but he seemed pleased by the suggestion. "That sounds like a great idea," he said picking the coffee back up and making his way over to the table. He sat on the bench with his back against the table part of it. His coffee was steady in his hand and Magnus turned his head slightly to the left and looking off into the distance.

A shudder ran up my back at how beautiful he was. Seriously, it should not be possible to be this freaking amazing. Could I really capture such a thing?

Taking a deep breath, I pulled my camera out of my bag and got it all ready before pointing it at him. I looked through the viewfinder and he somehow managed to look even more gorgeous if that's even possible.

That's how it is though whenever I take pictures. The world I see through my camera is always full of color and warmth. Magnus was a part of that world now. His golden-green eyes practically sparkled in the morning light. The autumn leaves in shades of red, orange, and yellow made it look like rays of sunlight were hitting him in all the right places. A small breeze came through, just brushing passed Magnus enough to make his hair wisp softly with it.

He was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

I licked my dry lips nervously before pushing down the button on my camera, capturing that beauty for the whole world to see… or at least a classroom full of students.

After a few shots Magnus got off the bench and made his way over to me. "Can I see the pictures?" I nodded, trying to hide how much my hand was shaking as I handed the camera to him.

He took it, looking the photo over for a long, critical moment before glancing up at me. "Is this really me?"

"Does it really look that bad," i asked nervously.

He shook his head no. "The opposite. The guy in this photo is… he looks too good to be me. The way the light is hitting me and the color of my eyes. Wow. How did you do that?"

I took the camera looking at the photo. "What do you mean? Of course this is you. This is how you always look… at least it's what you look like to me."

Magnus's eyes practically glistened with excitement as he picked up my equipment and practically shoved it into my arms. "Let's go take more pictures. God, this is going to be the best Fall line in the whole class. Everyone is going to be super jealous of my secret weapon. Too bad though because only I can have you."

Those last words made me blush like crazy. "You make it sound like you'll have to beat people off with a stick. No one would ever want me that much."

"Oh I think not Alexander. I for one would definitely beat someone with a stick for you," he assured making me laugh. Magnus could be quite charming and funny. He really was perfect in every way.

Magnus and I spent about two hours taking photos all over the park. Magnus gushed over every picture I took and a part of me wondered if he was just being nice to spare my feelings. There isn't any possible way he could have loved every single picture. There had to be at least a few that were a little off, but he treated each one like it was made of gold.

"I think we accomplished a lot today," Magnus said, pulling me out of my thoughts. The two of us stepped into a small diner across from the park for some lunch. He only ordered a small salad which made me feel awkward about having a burger and fries. Was he a vegetarian or something? Would he be offended if I ate a burger in front of him?

Maybe i'm overthinking all of this.

"That burger looks good. I wish I could have one," he sighed, making me feel instantly better.

"Why can't you," I asked confused. He reached over the table and took a frie from my plate, dipping it in my chocolate shake before plopping it into his mouth.

"I'm a model Alexander. I can't just go around eating anything I want."

I shrugged at that. "There's nothing wrong with eating unhealthy every once in a while. Don't you have a cheat day or something?"

To my surprise, a slight flush spread across Magnus's cheeks. He glanced away seeming embarrassed. "I have a cheat day every two weeks… but I kind of cheated yesterday. It wasn't one of my days."

"Well there is nothing wrong with cheating on your cheat day every once in awhile," I said shrugging.

He groaned, stabbing his salad with his fork. "It's all of Camille's fault. She knew I wouldn't be able to decline a Project Runway Marathon and she had to bring so much junk. She just put it out in front of me knowing that I would eat it."

The mention of the beautiful blonde girl from the party made me frown. What was she to Magnus? They seemed close but that doesn't mean they are dating. Maybe I just misunderstood their relationship. I want to come out and ask him but that's so awkward.

What if they are together? What would I do then? Why do I even care?

"Camille's just a friend Alexander."

For a moment I thought it was my brain talking to me but my 'brain' had Magnus's voice. Blinking, I looked up seeing Magnus smirking at me.

"Um… what?"

He chuckled before repeating, "Camille and I are just friends. We dated once but that was just a fling. We don't even know why we attempted it. There's no romantic feelings there from either side."

"How did you know I was thinking about that," I asked frowning.

He shrugged. "It was kind of written all over your face. Don't worry though, it's adorable. I'm completely single… of course I'm always open to a relationship."

Was that a hint? Was he hinting something to me? No… don't be stupid Alec, he wouldn't ever want to be with you.

The thought of that depressed me, making me lose my appetite. I pushed the burger away before standing up. "I should go. The faster I get these photos processed, the faster you'll be able to turn in your project. You're already behind right?"

He frowned, nodding slightly. "Yeah a little but that doesn't mean you have to go right now. Sit and talk to me a little bit longer. I want to get to know you better."

I bit my lip thinking about it before shaking my head no. "I can't. I have a lot of homework to get finished. I've been pushing it back long enough."

I didn't want to get to know Magnus. There was no doubt that I would fall for him. Perhaps I already have. Still, there is no chance for him to like me back. If he once dated that Camille girl, then that means he has a type. He would rather be with someone like Jonathan.

Not me.

Magnus kept frowning but nodded. "I will find out the grade on our project this Friday. Will you meet with me to look over them?"

I bit my lip again thinking about it and before I knew it, I was nodding. His frown turned into a smile from that.

"Great. Then we will meet at my place at seven pm. Sound good?"

I nodded putting my equipment bag over my shoulder. "Sounds good."

Actually it sounded horrible. Magnus and I alone in his house? My brain will just go crazy with all the stuff that could happen between us… the things that will never happen between us.

We said one more goodbye before I left the diner, sighing to myself. What was I getting myself into with this guy? I came to school to perfect my craft and learn. Now i'm going boy crazy and getting distracted.

Just get it all out of your head Alec.

It's never going to happen.

Magnus and I… it's never going to happen.


	5. This Story Was Not Abandoned

love from the start has not been abandoned. I just haven't been updating it here.

this story and all my other recent stories are being completed on Wattpad with my account TheMalecPrincess.

It was becoming too much to upload to both sites and I completely forgot to inform my readers here that there is another way to read it.

sorry if It felt like I fell off the face of the earth or that I abandoned the project and you. that's not the case.

I just don't care for FFN as much as Wattpad and it was easier to use that site instead.

If you want to read Love From The Start we are fifteen chapters in (as of now) and it's on wattpad.

Malec Tales Series 2 is finished on Wattpad and series 3 has begun. series 3 is The Greatest Showman AU.

Born to Endless Love has also been updated and grown over on wattpad as well, so if you loved that story you can check that out as well.

Thank you all for the support you gave me over the years and I hope to see you over on Wattpad. just tell me you came from FFN and I will definetly comment back.

wattpad actually lets me interact with my readers (which is a big reason why I like it better) so I hope to talk to you soon!


End file.
